Chapter 445: A Great Opportunity!

The clouds parted, the rain ceased, the sun shone bright, and the qi ran clear.

Both the formless storm that had ground all things to mud and sand and the Profound Sea Heavenly Source that washed away every profound mystery receded like an ebbing tide and vanished into the Cosmos.

Wang Ping and Mingyou stood shoulder to shoulder.

Though his cultivation was far inferior to Mingyou's and he could not see the shifts behind what had just unfolded, as the one directly involved, Wang Ping could roughly deduce the truth:

'A strand of the [Profound-Weighing Impartial-Bestowing True Monarch]'s profound mystery was severed by the Sovereign Lord and fell into my [Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven]. Nourished by a True Monarch's profound mystery, the Grotto-Heaven underwent this transformation. That stroke of fortune has saved me at least a hundred years of bitter cultivation, and the Grotto-Heaven's foundation has leaped straight to the supreme upper grade.'

The benefits were substantial.

First was escaping calamity and avoiding tribulation. So long as the gap in combat strength did not exceed three layers of heaven, he could evade a powerful enemy's pressure simply by hiding inside his Grotto-Heaven.

Second was the home-field advantage.

Wang Ping opened his palm. A point of bright light sparked in the center of his hand, shattering his surroundings into fine fragments of color. The void fractured layer upon layer, revealing four layers of radiant scenery.

Fourth Layer Heaven Breaking!

Outside the Grotto-Heaven, his combat strength was at Third Layer Heaven Breaking. Yet as its lord, borrowing the Grotto-Heaven's power allowed him to raise his combat strength by another full tier.

Hearing Mingyou's words, Wang Ping rubbed his forehead. "Why is it that great one again... Doesn't he ever get tired? He just ascended to his station—doesn't he want to go into seclusion to stabilize his Realm?"

The implication behind Mingyou's words could not have been clearer.

[True Monarch Hanguang Danyang]!

Prior to this, Mingyou had only ever crossed paths with this former True Person. Or rather, only this newly ascended True Monarch would take in a cultivator like Mingyou.

"A newly ascended True Monarch also has to establish an Immortal Realm," Mingyou said with a faint smile. "Look across the Immortal Gate—which great one doesn't have a few capable True Persons in their Immortal Realm? That in itself is tied to cultivation at the True Monarch level."

"As for going into seclusion to stabilize one's Realm... that's what ancient cultivators do. Rather than wasting time on such things, it is better to properly burnish one's own merits and achievements, borrowing the false to cultivate the true. That is the way of the Immortal Gate... And what merit could be more fitting than settling the final ruins of the Great Rebellion?"

That was the logic of it.

True, [True Monarch Hanguang Danyang] had ascended to the Pinnacle Station in a single bound through the merit of eradicating the Great Rebellion's backup plans and the Bodhisattvas of the Brahma Nation, but that did not mean the matter was over.

One could never have too much merit.

With a rare chance to make the [Heaven Defiance Palace] fall completely, eradicate the heritage of the Great Rebellion, and bring great profit to the [Immortal Prescription Courtyard], how could this newly ascended True Monarch not take part?

"What's the specific plan?" Wang Ping asked.

Mingyou immediately looked at him as if he were a fool. 'Little beast, do you think calling each other good master and good disciple actually makes us close?'

'To think you even have the nerve to ask!'

Seeing that Mingyou had no intention of answering, Wang Ping curled his lip. "Good Master's prejudice against me runs too deep. I only wanted to see if I could lend a hand."

Mingyou let out a cold laugh.

'You, lend a hand? It'd be a blessing if you didn't block my path to the Dao!'

Wang Ping did not mind. There was no harm in asking—what if Mingyou actually told him? Besides, nothing was set in stone; heaven only knew how this grand game would play out in the end.

"...By the way."

With that in mind, Wang Ping changed the subject again. "May I ask, Master, do you know of another class of people within the Immortal Realms whose combat strength far surpasses that of ordinary Qi Refining practitioners?"

He intended to probe a little.

In the deduction visions, when Mingyou met Chu Huaijing, he had mentioned "seniors in the Immortal Realm," which suggested he knew some hidden secret.

Hearing Wang Ping's description, Mingyou's expression grew dark and unfathomable as he thought, 'Sure enough, my earlier intuition wasn't wrong. Someone from an Immortal Realm made a move against this little beast. Earth qi... Could it be the [Profound Governance Realm], that great one who only deals with lower cultivators?'

Mingyou's thoughts raced, and he soon spoke in a low voice, "Truth be told, it's nothing special. Just a bunch of half-dead old things clinging to life by relying on a True Monarch's backing and the profound mysteries of an Immortal Realm."

"Oh?" Wang Ping raised his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"They come from the era when Qi Refining practitioners had infinite lifespans, yet they fell into decline after Wood qi seized longevity. Most of them died to the passage of the years."

"However, there were always a few who cultivated exceedingly high combat strength over the long ages. To a True Monarch, they are fine blades for borrowing the false to cultivate the true. Thus, they were forcibly preserved by the True Monarchs of the various Immortal Realms, who used profound mysteries to protect their true spirits, fashion flesh and souls for them, and forcibly keep them in the present world."

"That is why they are [the dying who have not yet died]."

At the end, Mingyou even let out a sneer. "Clinging to life until now, they're simply hoping that one day, that True Monarch of Wood qi will restore the longevity of Qi Refining."

"Don't be fooled by how formidable they seem, with even the weakest among them at Seventh Layer Heaven Breaking. In truth, they cannot sustain drawn-out battles. Every time they come out for a while, they have to return to an Immortal Realm to nourish and restore their lives."

"In a real fight, they wouldn't necessarily be a match for me."

'Give me a break!'

'A coward like you runs the moment you meet one!'

Wang Ping scoffed inwardly, though his face wore the humble expression of someone seeking guidance. "Are there many people like this? Roughly how many are there in the Immortal Realms of each orthodoxy?"

Hearing this, Mingyou shot Wang Ping a strange glance. "Many? If you're asking who has the most, who else under heaven could it be besides Water qi? The art of the yin-spirit grants an infinite lifespan, completely unaffected by the seizure of longevity... Aside from them, it's probably Earth qi, since they have the divine corpse method."

"Both are skilled at preserving life."

Wang Ping understood at once.

'Right, Water qi cheats with yin-spirits, while Earth qi inherited the Great Rebellion's legacy of incense deities. This so-called divine corpse method is probably a similar art.'

Was Chu Huaijing like that as well?

Comparing his state to Yunlong's, Water qi's yin-spirit was clearly a cut above. Earth qi obviously carried certain restrictions and was nowhere near as carefree as Water qi.

"And after them?" Wang Ping asked again.

"Probably Fire qi."

Mingyou thought for a moment and continued, "The demon path has its own advantages. After transforming into a demon, one's vitality surpasses that of a human body, and one's lifespan is several times longer as well."

"If they also use a slumber method to reduce the depletion of their vitality to the absolute minimum, they can hold out for a very long time by sheer grit—tens of thousands of years is no problem at all."

"Of course, compared to Water and Earth qi, that method is much weaker and lacks technical sophistication. It's only because just a few tens of thousands of years have passed since the fall of the Great Rebellion and Wood qi's seizure of longevity that some great demons of Fire qi have managed to hold out. Give it another hundred thousand years, and no matter how well those great demons endure, they'll be ground to death by time."

"I see..."

A thoughtful look crossed Wang Ping's face before his tone shifted. "What about Metal qi?"

"I don't know."

Mingyou shook his head and gave Wang Ping an annoyed look. "I'm only temporarily borrowing the influence of the Divine Weapon Courtyard. How could I possibly know the hidden secrets of their orthodoxy?"

"Then Wood qi?"

"Even less clear."

Mingyou spread his hands. "For Wood qi, the Immortal Prescription Courtyard only has one [Observing Eternity Realm]. Ever since Wood qi seized longevity, they've kept a very low profile and basically never come out into the world."

"Still, since it's the Immortal Realm governed by that longevity-seizing True Monarch, it presumably has veterans of that caliber holding the fort—I just don't know the exact number... As I recall, didn't you capture the Dao Child of the [Observing Eternity Realm]? If you're really curious, why not just ask him?"

Wang Ping looked utterly blank. "What Hengxu?"

Mingyou fell silent.

This little beast was getting smoother and smoother at playing dumb!

Mingyou said no more. Having seemingly only confirmed which side had made a move this time, he put distance between himself and Wang Ping as if avoiding snakes and scorpions.

Wang Ping felt a bit regretful about that.

It seemed they had gone too long without nurturing their bond as master and disciple, leaving his good master unwilling to risk life and limb for him. That was not a good sign. He needed to find an opportunity!

'Best to do it like before, using the Life Seal to pull him along and rebuild the deep bond between master and disciple. Otherwise, wouldn't his Eighth Layer Heaven Breaking combat strength go to waste...'

Turning around, Wang Ping returned to the main hall of the Grotto-Heaven.

He needed to enter seclusion and cultivate!

This brush with life and death on a razor's edge had left Wang Ping hungrier than ever for strength. His current cultivation, even advancing by leaps and bounds, could no longer keep pace with his needs.

'According to Senior [Yang]'s estimate, having obtained the Dragon Transformation Destiny Pattern and being buoyed by the fortune of the entire Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy, reaching the perfection of the Qi Refining Second Layer won't take me more than a year. Before, I felt I could take my time and patiently cultivate for a year... but looking at it now, a year is still too long!'

In the main hall of the Grotto-Heaven, Wang Ping sat cross-legged.

The newly acquired [Northern Palace Divine Edge] lay across his knees. Within the hum of the blade, a dragon's roar seemed to echo in response, and surging rivers wound across the body of the sword.

This profound sword excelled most at slaying demons and slaughtering dragons, and it also possessed the power to cast spells and arts. Held in hand, it instantly added thirty percent more might to the Divine Powers and qi manifestations of a Water qi cultivator.

Beyond that, the blade possessed peerless sharpness. So long as mana was poured into it, a single slash would immediately summon visions of profound trenches, heavenly pools, and perishing dragons. The more mana poured in, the more lifelike the profound vision became: the former could inflict Body Immobilization and trap the profound, while the latter could maim and slay vitality, striking with astonishing might!

That single feature alone was enough to make Wang Ping take notice.

Not to mention, keeping this sword by his side ordinarily accelerated his cultivation speed—perfect for helping him break through faster right now.

"Huu..."

Sitting cross-legged on the Meditation Mat, Wang Ping exhaled fully. At once, the billowing spiritual energy and myriad divine radiances within the Grotto-Heaven spontaneously gathered around him.

Immediately after, profound rings floated up around him one after another, lighting up in sequence—nine in total. Within them were subterranean spring veins and hidden dragons lying in ambush; netherworld ghost gates and the turning wheel of karma; the proliferation of all things and the division of clear and turbid. Layer upon layer of anomalies converged into a deep abyssal shadow.

Yet above this abyssal shadow...

There stood a profound light as pure and bright as the moon, rising above the many anomalies. Looking closely, one could see it was a snow-white immortal palace with layers of palace gates opening and closing.

[Supreme Yin Dwelling]!

The Major Divine Ability corresponding to the first phenomenon of Water qi, [Supreme Yin Weak Water], currently reigned above the other eight anomalies, provoking a fierce reaction from every single qi manifestation.

"Rumble!"

Wang Ping knitted his brows tightly as he watched his nine qi manifestation Divine Powers clash incessantly under the stimulation of [Supreme Yin Dwelling], showing no sign of stopping.

"The first phenomenon of Water qi..."

He raised his head to look at [Supreme Yin Weak Water], his gaze slightly grim. 'The existence of this qi manifestation prevents me from melding all the qi manifestations together.'

Cultivation at the Qi Refining Second Layer lay in integrating the qi manifestations cultivated at the Qi Refining First Layer step by step into one's own Dao foundation and life force, forging a gate that reached to heaven.

In the Ancient Cultivator Orthodoxy, the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer was also called "Foundation Establishment." The destiny form was a cultivator's "Dao foundation," and making the Dao foundation resonate with the qi of heaven and earth to merge into a qi manifestation was Qi Refining. Therefore, to a Qi Refining practitioner, having one's qi manifestation broken in a Dao debate meant having one's Dao foundation broken, thereby endangering one's life. However, the more qi manifestations one refined, the more qi manifestations one's Dao foundation could leap and shift between. That way, even if a qi manifestation was broken in a Dao debate, it would not injure the Dao foundation itself.

And upon reaching the Qi Refining Second Layer, once one defined the nature of one's Dao foundation through personal merits and achievements, one could preliminarily break free from the constraints of qi manifestations, making it almost impossible to be broken by a Dao debate again.

Of course, that was only the first step.

'A Dao foundation is just like the foundation of a towering building. Once you have a sufficiently solid foundation, you naturally have to build grand structures atop it!'

Such was the cultivation of the Qi Refining Second Layer. Qi manifestations were the materials, and the Dao foundation was the base. With them, one constructed the [Heavenly Gate]. While gaining complete mastery over one's primary qi, one could also open up a space to accommodate a second strand of qi. Therefore, only when the [Heavenly Gate] was built could one hope to charge toward the Qi Refining Third Layer.

As for the cultivation of the Qi Refining Third Layer, Wang Ping had also learned a bit about it. In short, it meant using the [Heavenly Gate] to continuously take in the qi of heaven and earth, combining trigram images and sensing the authority of the Eight Trigrams.

After that came [Leaping the Heavenly Gate].

A cultivator burned their true spirit, soul, and flesh—the entire fruit of a lifetime's cultivation—and leaped toward that [Heavenly Gate] they had shaped with their own hands.

Leap across, and one attained the Dao and cultivated the true.

Fail to leap across, and one's Dao perished and one died.

'A heavy burden and a long road ahead.'

Reining in his thoughts, Wang Ping pulled his attention back to the nine qi manifestations before him. He furrowed his brows again, feeling a slight headache over [Supreme Yin Weak Water].

Constructing the [Heavenly Gate] required all qi manifestations to merge in harmony. Yet as the first phenomenon of Water qi, [Supreme Yin Weak Water] suppressed nearly every other qi manifestation. Forcing them to merge would only provoke violent resistance from the others, leading to a total collapse. The matter had clearly hit a dead end.

Realization dawned on Wang Ping:

'So the Sovereign Lord put away the [Supreme Yin Dwelling] Divine Power not because He was worried later generations would cultivate this first phenomenon of Water qi and shake His position.'

In fact, it was the exact opposite.

'The Sovereign Lord was worried that cultivating this first phenomenon would instead hinder their Qi Refining Second Layer cultivation. Far from cutting off the path, He was looking out for lower cultivators.'

The Sovereign Lord's grace could never be repaid in full.

Clearly, however, the Sovereign Lord held higher hopes for him as a Dao Child, which was why He had handed the [Supreme Yin Dwelling] Divine Power to him.

At that thought, a fiery light flared around Wang Ping, blazing like the rising sun. It shone in tandem with [Supreme Yin Dwelling], vying for brilliance like the sun and moon sharing the sky. This was the tenth qi manifestation he had mastered—Fire qi's [Seizing Preeminence Among the Ao]—and it faintly stole away a fraction of [Supreme Yin Weak Water]'s luster.

'This is the key.'

Wang Ping understood completely. 'To reach the perfection of the Qi Refining Second Layer, I either grind away the time and obediently wait a year—wearing them down like taming a hawk until all the qi manifestations are smoothed out and no longer clash.'

'Or I push [Seizing Preeminence Among the Ao] straight to the level of the first phenomenon of Fire qi to counterbalance [Supreme Yin Weak Water], thereby balancing Water and Fire, yin and yang.'

In other words:

"I still have to do something big—something huge!"

Wang Ping opened his eyes and withdrew the profound mysteries around him, no longer wasting precious time on seclusion. Compared to that, it was better to think about how to stir up trouble.

"Sigh, if only I could think of a way to broadcast my merits and achievements live across the entire Cosmic Deep Space, preferably so everyone can see them crystal clear. If I did that, the imagery of [Seizing Preeminence Among the Ao] would surge dramatically, and there'd be a real hope of achieving the first phenomenon of Fire qi."

A contemplative look crossed Wang Ping's face.

Although the feats he had pulled off so far were impressive and numerous, aside from those directly involved, nobody else knew about them unless he actively showed them off.

"Way too low-key!"

If he could, Wang Ping would gladly broadcast every bit of his cultivation and every single achievement live across the entire Cosmos to elevate his qi manifestations.

Too bad he couldn't broadcast it.

Just as Wang Ping was sighing with emotion—

"Boom!"

A sudden, thunderous roar echoed inside the Grotto-Heaven. Sensing something, Wang Ping immediately stepped out of the main hall and turned his gaze toward the source of the sound: the [Heaven Defiance Palace].

Looking into the distance, he saw that the grand complex of palaces, which had always maintained an illusory appearance like a mirage, had now grown much more solid and real once again.

'It sped up...'

Perhaps due to the clash between the True Monarchs, the profound mechanisms of the [Heaven Defiance Palace] had been shaken. By a rough estimate, its fall into the present world would happen sooner than expected!

'Probably only about a month left.'

Thinking of this, Wang Ping decided to seize the moment and make the most of this final one-month window to scrape clean every single opportunity he could get his hands on. The next second, he detached his consciousness, traversed layers of void barriers, and dropped into his turbid body nestled inside the [Heaven Defiance Palace], opening his eyes.

'The most important opportunity!'

Wang Ping stood up. Streams of colorful light surfaced around him, faintly revealing the forms of sabers, swords, mirrors, disks, and more, along with esoteric seal script runes.

The Ten Great Heavenly Works!

Wang Ping had already collected all their signatures and engraved them into his sea of consciousness. Manifesting now, they combined with one another and transformed into a singular, wondrous emblem.

Immediately, a resonance stirred within Wang Ping. Eyes gleaming with excitement, he walked out of the [Directorate of Water Works] and followed the guidance of the Heavenly Work emblem, weaving through palace after palace. Before long, he arrived in front of a somewhat secluded hall. On the plaque above the doors were written three large characters:

[Heavenly Armory]

"This is..." Wang Ping swallowed hard. The instant he saw those three characters, the Heavenly Work emblem in his sea of consciousness rippled faintly, relaying the corresponding information to him.

In a word:

'This is... the Great Rebellion's [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]!'

Without a doubt, the two utilized similar profound mysteries, and at the same time, this was likely what the Divine Weapon Courtyard intended to carve up once the [Heaven Defiance Palace] fell completely.

Could there be True Treasures inside?

At the thought, Wang Ping rubbed his hands together and boldly walked forward. Under the protection of the Heavenly Work emblem, he remained completely unharmed the entire way.

"Creak—"

The great doors were pushed open.

The scene inside the [Heavenly Armory] quickly met Wang Ping's eyes, yet to his astonishment, there was no sky-piercing spiritual light inside.

Instead, it was completely empty.

"Nothing?"

Wang Ping rubbed his eyes, hardly able to believe what he was seeing. The massive warehouse was comparable to an entire world, stretching so far that a single glance could not reach the end. He could easily imagine how this [Heavenly Armory] must have once been piled high with untold spiritual materials and heavy treasures, accumulating enough spiritual light to blind a Qi Refining practitioner's divine sense... Yet now, the warehouse was utterly bare. Never mind spiritual materials—there wasn't even a speck of fucking dust!

"...Who did this?"

'Who took my treasures!?'

Flustered and exasperated, Wang Ping searched through the [Heavenly Armory], his divine sense practically digging three feet into the ground, yet the result left him thoroughly crestfallen.

It really was empty!

Where was the opportunity?

"This makes no sense. Did the [Heaven's Will Profound Blade] lie to me? But what would be the point of lying to me? Or did someone already beat me to it?"

At that thought, Wang Ping's expression changed.

'Could that little thief have stolen my opportunity? That's right, it must be him! Damn it all, that accursed [Heaven-Stealing Thief]—today I'm going to rid the people of this menace!'

Wang Ping was ready to charge right out and track down the [Heaven-Stealing Thief] to demand his money back.

The next second, however, he froze.

The reason was simple—when he entered, he had pushed the doors inward from the outside, but as he moved to leave, he subconsciously pushed them outward from the inside. With that push, the scene before his eyes shifted in an instant. It was no longer the [Heaven Defiance Palace], but a vast, boundless, indescribable world. Everywhere he looked were spiritual materials piled like mountains, complete with all Five Phases, as well as Spiritual Treasures blooming with spiritual light and wreathed in profound mysteries.

And behind them, Wang Ping could faintly make out even higher-grade spiritual objects, along with several grand auras coiled like dragons—surpassing even the profound weapon [Northern Palace Divine Edge]!

'True Vessels—True Treasures...'

Wang Ping's pupils contracted sharply.

He looked behind him. The great doors of the [Heavenly Armory] stood unremarkably in the void, yet before the doors and behind them lay two entirely different worlds.

'...I get it now!'

Wild joy surged in the depths of Wang Ping's eyes.

'This place is... the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]!'

'I was wrong. The Great Rebellion didn't build a separate [Heavenly Armory] at all—they built the [Heavenly Armory] directly inside the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]!'

How ruthless!

Divine Weapon Courtyard, [Plain Treading Realm]. A beam of escape light pierced into the Immortal Realm, shooting straight to the jade platform at its center before dispersing as Tianxing stepped out in high spirits.

"Old man, I'm back!"

Standing before the mountain-sized jade platform, Tianxing looked up at the majestic profound body atop it and called out loudly, "I brought the thing back for you!"

The next second, the profound body vanished, and a middle-aged man with a hand resting on a sword across his knees appeared out of thin air. With a beckoning wave of his hand, he drew a breathtaking treasure light from Tianxing's sleeve—a radiance that seemed to gather all the wealth in the world. Satisfaction immediately appeared on his chiseled, square-jawed face.

"Well done."

Holding up this Light of Myriad Treasures, the middle-aged man examined it closely for a moment and gave a slight nod. "It is indeed the imagery that Shuofang stole back then."

"Dad..."

As he spoke, Tianxing sidled up to the middle-aged man with a flattering grin. "Didn't you say this thing could help me cultivate the true?"

"Look at you, impatient again."

The middle-aged man chuckled softly and sent the Light of Myriad Treasures back into Tianxing's hands. "Go yourself and return this imagery to the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]."

"Huh? Return it?" Tianxing blinked.

"What else?" the middle-aged man asked in return.

"I thought you were going to give it to me so I could refine it..." Tianxing muttered, looking expectantly at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man laughed in exasperation. "To think you'd even dare dream of it! Refine it? With that fleshly body of yours—and you not even being a qi-ingesting practitioner—what would you use to contain this Light of Myriad Treasures? The moment you merged with it, you'd blow straight to pieces! What kind of wondrous object do you think the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] is? It was left behind by an immortal!"

Tianxing's eyes went wide. "An immortal?"

Having no intention of hiding it, the middle-aged man said unhurriedly, "Back then, an immortal personally established this place, proclaiming it capable of taking in all treasures of the past, present, and future."

Tianxing looked thoroughly puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"Good-for-nothing."

The middle-aged man shook his head and explained, "Every treasure with a name, regardless of whether it is damaged or destroyed, casts a shadow of the past into the granary."

"That is taking in treasures of the past. If there is a need, so long as one puts up sufficient collateral, the shadow of the past within the granary can be turned from false illusion into reality and taken out. Even if the treasure itself has already been destroyed, the shadow of the past retrieved from the granary is no different from the original treasure!"

"Treasures of the present go without saying."

"As for treasures of the future, every spiritual object and treasure across the Cosmic Deep Space has karma bound to the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] from the very moment of its birth."

"If they are ownerless and carry no other karma upon them, they will be drawn into the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]. It is only a matter of time."

"Therefore, no matter what kind of treasure it is or what trials it goes through, so long as it is not destroyed, it will ultimately fall into the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]."

Tianxing listened in stunned silence, counting on his fingers. "In other words, present treasures are ours; so long as a treasure isn't destroyed, it will be ours in the future too; and if it is destroyed, its shadow of the past will be cast into the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary], making it ours all the same?"

The middle-aged man smiled without answering.

"Hiss..." Tianxing sucked in a breath of cold air. "Isn't that way too ruthless?"

'Nonsense! In a place like the Immortal Gate, if you aren't ruthless, you can't hold your ground. If we didn't have at least this much skill, how else would Metal qi have earned the reputation of bandits?'

The middle-aged man looked rather pleased with himself:

"Now you should understand the true value of the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]. This Light of Myriad Treasures is not something you can lay a finger on; returning it is the best choice."

"In short, the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] is the foundation of our Divine Weapon Courtyard. It operates by its own set of rules. Even I cannot monitor this treasure vault at all times; I can only take inventory of the vault at set intervals... Were that not the case, that shameless Shuofang would never have succeeded."

Speaking of this, a flash of irritation crossed the middle-aged man's face:

"Aside from Shuofang, the Great Rebellion also coveted the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] back then, and the Human Emperor's methods were far superior to Shuofang's—and far more ruthless."

"At the end of the day, Shuofang only took a strand of the Light of Myriad Treasures—a bit of imagery. It caused some damage, but nothing critical, and he didn't know how to use it anyway."

"The Human Emperor, however, was different. Relying on the immortal decree in His hand, He forcibly carved out a separate zone inside the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] and called it the [Heavenly Armory]. He even dug a doghole for that Heaven-Stealing Thief to dig away at the roots of the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] all day long—utterly brazen and shameless."

Bringing up the matter filled the middle-aged man's voice with resentment. Soon, however, his brows smoothed out and he relaxed considerably. "Of course, after the Great Rebellion perished, that [Heavenly Armory] was buried right along with it."

"Now it lies buried near the [Heaven Defiance Palace]."

"Locked tight inside and out, lost to the present age, so there is no need to mind it. Once the [Heaven Defiance Palace] falls completely this time, I will tear it down with my own hands and eliminate any lingering trouble."

"The [Heaven Defiance Palace]?"

Hearing this, a thought struck Tianxing. "Come to think of it, Wang Ping is inside the [Heaven Defiance Palace] right now. What if he happens to find that Heavenly Armory..."

The middle-aged man glanced at Tianxing.

"What, worried he'll pull some stunt?"

"Not really."

Tianxing rubbed his chin. "It's mainly that I feel like you just set that kid up a moment ago, old man. His mood seemed a bit off to me."

"What kind of talk is that!"

The middle-aged man flatly denied it. "What do you mean set him up? It was just in passing... Besides, didn't he survive? I even threw in a profound weapon on top of it."

Tianxing shook his head. "From what I know of him, that kid always nurses a grudge when he loses and settles the score when he wins. He's definitely written this grudge down in his book."

The middle-aged man nearly laughed out loud.

"Hold a grudge?"

"I think you have no idea how formidable your dad is. Do you know what it means to be number one in Metal qi?" The middle-aged man pointed a thumb at himself.

"I'm the boss of the Divine Weapon Courtyard!"

'A mere lower cultivator at the Qi Refining stage, favored by Mingjin, actually dares hold a grudge against me? Even if he does, what of it? Could he actually come looking to take revenge on me? What, is he going to become an immortal?'

'The ignorant are fearless!' The middle-aged man dismissed it with disdain, feeling he had been far too genial with Tianxing, leaving his son ignorant of just how formidable and badass his old man really was.

So be it. Wait until he cultivated the true.

A lower cultivator at Qi Refining could not see things clearly. Once this silly boy cultivated the true, he would hold boundless reverence for him—could just anyone cling to the thigh of an immortal?

"In short, there's no need to overthink it."

The middle-aged man gave a grand wave of his hand. "The [Heavenly Armory] was sealed shut long ago, and the key was destroyed. Even if he finds it, he can't open it, much less get inside."

Seeing his old man so confident, Tianxing said no more. Turning to form hand seals and chant incantations, he quickly opened the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary]. A golden window surfaced above his head, reflecting ten thousand spiritual lights. Tianxing then cupped the Light of Myriad Treasures in both hands and solemnly sent it inside.

"Very good."

Watching this, the middle-aged man nodded. "After a moment, this Light of Myriad Treasures will be reabsorbed, making the imagery of the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] whole again."

"When that happens, as the one who brought this about, you will receive feedback to your life force from the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary], elevating your Destiny Pattern to a higher level."

As his voice fell, the middle-aged man calculated on his fingers for a moment before stating with certainty, "Although it won't reach the level of a reincarnated True Person, it will be very close. Carrying such a Destiny Pattern into cultivating the true will add a full thirty percent to your odds of success. If Mingyou succeeds in cultivating the true, your own chances will be fifty-fifty."

"You'll be ready to give it a try."

Meanwhile, inside the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary], Wang Ping was huffing and puffing as he frantically hauled things into the [Heavenly Armory]... Of course, greedy as he was, he was not a man of blind, insatiable greed.

In his view, senseless greed only led to self-destruction. He was not about to swallow everything whole indiscriminately. Things like Spiritual Treasures, profound weapons, and even more important True Weapons and True Treasures carried too much weight; taking them without leave would easily amount to beating the grass to startle the snake, so he held himself back and did not touch a single one.

He only hauled spiritual materials.

Compared to finished treasures, these raw spiritual materials were piled up like mountains, so he did not take much—just a tiny bit from each pile.

That would minimize the risk of exposure.

Yet halfway through hauling them, he suddenly froze.

"Huh?"

Meeting his eyes was a dazzling, golden treasure light that seemed to gather all the wealth between heaven and earth. No matter how Wang Ping looked at it, it seemed awfully familiar.

'The Light of Myriad Treasures?'

'Didn't I return this to Tianxing... So after retrieving the Light of Myriad Treasures, he sent it back into the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary], only for me to bump right into it again?'

Now this was truly—destiny!

"Mine now!"

Without a shred of hesitation, Wang Ping snatched up the Light of Myriad Treasures, hauled it straight into the [Heavenly Armory], and slammed the great doors shut with a loud bang.

Inside the [Plain Treading Realm].

Calculating on his fingers, the middle-aged man looked up at Tianxing. "Going by the time, it should be just about done. Well? Do you feel a change in your Destiny Pattern?"

Hearing this, Tianxing squeezed his eyes shut.

The middle-aged man blinked in surprise. "There's a change?"

"Nope."

Tianxing opened his eyes and spread his hands.

The middle-aged man was so incensed he nearly brought the longsword across his knees down on this good-for-nothing's head. 'Damn it, if there's no change, what the hell were you closing your eyes for?'

Almost immediately, however, his expression turned serious. Dropping the finger calculations, he cast a spell to open the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary] directly, sending his vast divine sense sweeping through to take inventory and search... Hm, the Light of Myriad Treasures was indeed gone, yet the flaw in the imagery remained, and some spiritual objects seemed to have shrunk by a tiny fraction as well.

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow.

"A thief!?"

At the same time, having already guessed that a major investigation was coming, Wang Ping naturally paid no further attention to the changes in the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary], nor did he have the mind to care.

Because the moment he brought the Light of Myriad Treasures into the [Heavenly Armory], the previously empty warehouse suddenly responded. Like a sponge soaking up water, it drank every last drop of the Light of Myriad Treasures from his hands. Right on its heels, an indescribable, surging feedback crashed straight into his life force!

"Hiss..." Wang Ping sucked in a sharp breath as the world before his eyes blurred. He had no choice but to circulate his Divine Intent to adapt to the changes in his life force.

In the process, aided by the analysis of the [Heavenly Armory], the Light of Myriad Treasures—which had previously seemed unfathomably profound to him—gradually revealed its true face.

'Past, present, future...'

Countless insights and profound mysteries flooded into his life force, elevating his fleshly body and forcing him to circulate his Divine Intent in tandem, responding to the shifting anchor and adjusting his own worldview.

Gradually, his eyes lit up.

'This... seems to be a real opportunity.'

He could sense that this was no mere elevation of his life force; rather, he was comprehending some of the imagery belonging to the Light of Myriad Treasures and the [Hundred Treasures Great Abundance Granary].

Under normal circumstances, it would be utterly impossible for a lower cultivator to learn of such a thing. Yet this was the critical moment when the Light of Myriad Treasures was being absorbed by the [Heavenly Armory], releasing its profound mysteries outward. Coupled with the fact that he was currently the sole master of the [Heavenly Armory], he was able to catch a glimpse of this grand Dao immortal opportunity!

'I have to keep it... I must preserve this insight!'

Instinct told Wang Ping that once the Light of Myriad Treasures was completely absorbed by the [Heavenly Armory], this insight would recede along with it, and he would not be able to hold on to it.

And failing to hold on to it meant making less profit!

A massive loss!

In the flash of a spark, Wang Ping's clear-aspect body inside the Dao and Virtue Grotto-Heaven felt the resonance, reached out a hand, and took hold of a scripture scroll.

[Avalokiteshvara Precious Scroll]!

Wang Ping unfurled the only Dao-comprehension treasure among the Ten Great Heavenly Work Spiritual Treasures to boost his comprehension, activating the seventh scripture scroll, [Golden Sea Desiccation], at the same time.

Comprehend with everything he had!

'Trace it with Divine Intent, anchor it with the flesh, construct the worldview, and engrave this transformation of past, present, and future into my [dharma body path]!'

Wang Ping's gaze burned bright. Bolstered by the merit of [In the World of Men], his thoughts remained unshaken by the grand Dao immortal opportunity before him. Refusing to sink into those seemingly boundless shifts of Dao attainment, he stayed clear-headed, seized the most crucial transformations within, and merged them into the circulation of his Divine Intent.

Gradually, he changed.

Wang Ping's turbid body still stood on the spot, yet behind him, a figure slowly surfaced—youthful in appearance, looking like his teenage self.

Before him, meanwhile, another figure appeared, clad in bloodstained armor—resembling his aged self, middle-aged in appearance yet already gray-haired before his time.

One old, one young. Between the two stood Wang Ping's true turbid body, looking like a young man, his qi and blood blazing like a torch. Pushed upward by the figures before and behind him, his aura climbed higher and higher until, with a thunderous boom, it seemed to shatter some indescribable boundary in the unseen dark.

Past dust, present world, future life.

The three rotated in turn, yet all led to the same end.

'They are all [me]!'

The next second, the three figures began to overlap, and upon Wang Ping's body, a bright light of merit slowly descended from the torrent of [destiny].

'I'm about to break through!'

Out of nowhere, that realization surged in Wang Ping's mind—not the Martial Dao Pre-Heaven Stage, but a step further: the void-shattering Martial Saint Realm!

'No, I can't break through just like this.'

'This is my chance!'

Wang Ping's thoughts raced as he quickly recognized the opportunity inside it—taking his [dharma body path] a step further would inevitably draw greater attention from Human Yang Fire.

[Seizing Preeminence Among the Ao]!

He had to think of a way to publicize his breakthrough on the [dharma body path] and push the qi manifestation of [Seizing Preeminence Among the Ao] a step further!